Skate clamp



June 9, 1931. H. F. wHlTcoMB, .1R 1,809,539

SKATE CLAMP Filed March l. 1930 fa fwwamugggiwm m lll/111171110 CFI Patented `irme 9, 1931 ses .Tan y STATES PATENT orales HENRY WHITCOMB, JR., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGOR T0 RICHARDSON BALL BEAR-ING' SKATE COMPANY, OF

ILLINOIS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SKATE CLAMP Application filed March 1,

My invention relates to adjustable clamps for skates for clamping, particularly, the toe oi the shoe to the toot plate of the skate. A skate of the type under consideration isr furnished near its forward end with two clamps which are drawn together by means of a clamp screw having right and left threads, the clamps sliding, ordinarily, across the under surface of the foot plate and being guided by suitable clamp guides.

These clamps havey been made of integral steel stampings; but in such case the relative thinness of the metal unduly limits the eX- tent of the threading; and this is so even when, in punching the holes for the clamp screw a bur or iiange is struck out around the hole in order toincrease the thickness at the place where the clamp is to be threaded.

It is desirable to have a considerable number oil threads (turns of the threading) on the clamp, since the more threads that are engaged by the clamp screw the longer will be the life not only of the clamp but of the screw also; and at the same time with more` threads engaged it is not necessary, in order to hold the skate firmly to the shoe to tighten the clamps on the sole of the shoe as tightly as it is with fewer threads in enga-gement.

For these reasons, particularly, it has been the commoner practice to make skate clamps of malleable iron, by which it is possible to have two or three more threads than with steel clamps; and on this account malleable iron clamps have, generally speaking, given greater satisfaction than steel clamps. However, there is a limit to the thickness of the malleable clamp, and consequently a limit to the number of turns of the threading on such clamp. This limitation results from the fact that it is not practical to punch or pierce a malleable iron casting of more than a certain thickness. Moreover, malleable iron skate clamps have the disadvantages of being somewhat irregular in size, due to variations in shrinkage in casting, of being liable to internal and undetectable ilaws, and of beingsomewhat rough on their surfaces, which latter is objectionable because intertering with the free sliding movements of "l the clamps on the foot-plate. Furthermore,

1930. 'serial No. 432,417.'

rfaulty annealing which frequently occurs in the manufacture of malleable castings is the cause of the breaking of punches and also of cracked castings. The breakage in piercing malleable iron skate clamps, due to improper annealing, is extremely high.

My invention provides an improved skate clamp consisting of a body portion, preferably a steel stamping, to which is secured, preferably but net necessarily by an upsetting process, a cylindrical internally threaded errule, which may be ot any desired length so that it can have as many threads as may be desired in order to properly engage the clamp with the clamp screw and obtain the above stated advantages. respect the clamp is an improvement particularly upon the old type of integral sheet metal clamp but also upon clamps made oi" malleable cast iron. The threads may be cut more smoothly and accurately than is possible with a malleable iron clamp and the clamp is stronger and more reliable than when made of malleable iron. The improved clamp may be made at a cost not substantially in excess of the skate clamps heretofore in use.

The invention is illustrated in Certain preferred embodiments in the accompanying drawings, wherein: l

Fig l is a side elevation of the front portion of a roller skate furnished with toe clamps constructed in accordance with my iny vention. y Y

' Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of one of the clamps.

Fig. 3 is an inverted ward end of the skate.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. `l, and

Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are views corresponding to Figs. 3 and 4 illustrating a diiferent mode of guiding the clamps on the toot plate.

The improved clamp may be used on ice skates as well as upon roller skates.

Referring lirst -to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, 10 designates the foot plate oi' the skate which is supported on rollers in any suitable manner, the forward rollers being designated ll-ll. Projecting from the und-er side of the forplan view of the for- In this ward part of the foot plate l() is a bracket l2, the lower edge of which is formed With a groove 13, semi-circular at its inner portion, for receiving' the smooth reduced middle portion 14 of the clamp screw7 i5.

The clamp `screw ie formed with two threaded. portions 16, 17, having opposite threads, and Wi th milled port-ions 18, Square in cross section, for application of a key. The toe clamps '19, 520 consist, in each Case, of a horizontal or slide portion 2l, hearing against the Linder Surface of the foot plateaiid guided by a keeper 22, a clamping portion 23 with inwardlyv heilt upper edge to engage the sole of the shoe, a ii d a flange portieri Q- depending from the ihrer edge of the slide portion` 2l,

this much oit' the clamp being made, prefer-V ably, of a Steel stan'iping.

To provi de the clamp with an apertured in-V terually threaded part for engaging the eX- ternally threaded portier i5 or l?, as the ease may he, of' the clamp screw l5, a seperately made ferrule 25 furnished, having' a portion 26 oi reduced diameter constituting; a shoulder to hear against the outer Surface of the flange Q4 of the clamp, the portion of reduced diameter extending' through a perforation in the llaiige Q4 and heine; upset against the ir@ ,r surfacethereor, ae indi* cated at 27, to provide e firm attachment of i the terrule to the clamp. rllhe errule 25 is internally threaded to correspond with the thread 16 or l? on `the adjusting Screw which it engages. These ferrules may be made of Steel bare or tubing, threaded` reduced iii diameter Yfor portions of their length, on a lathe, for example, and cut to proper lengths. The operations oit making the 'te rules and securing them to the clamps; are Simple and iiiexpeneive and the composite clamp thus provided is an improvement upon the integral rlampe, either of malleable iron or of irr tegral Steel type, referred to above, `for the reaeons which have stated.

In Figs. 5 and G the slid-e portion 2l oit the clamp ie formed with a Slot 2r for a headed guiding" .stud Q9 riveted to the foot plate 10.

I claim:

ln combination with the Clamp screw i" :a skate, a clamp comprisingY a eteeletaiiipiiig formingy the body of the clamp and profiled with a perforated. depending delige ferrule internally threaded to engr-ge tir threading of the clamp Screw and for ing through the perforation of said V5 and being upset at ite end against the i to secure the fer-rule to the etainpiiie.

HENRY r. WHITCOMB, JR. 

